Site Information:

Summary:

T-Van (3480 m asl) is an alpine fellfield characterized by strong wind scour and low snow retention. The name T-Van originates from “treeline van”, and the site marks the boundary between krummholz to the east and alpine tundra to the west. The site name also refers to two small trailers (vans) delivered in 1967 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to house greenhouse gas-sampling equipment. In that year, the NOAA Carbon Cycle and Greenhouse Gas (CCGG) group established Niwot Ridge (at T-Van) as the first of their cooperative air-sampling network of sites. Weekly flask measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) and bi-weekly measurements of the 13C/12C isotopic ratio of CO2 have been collected at T-Van ever since. Additional instrumentation at or near T-Van includes two eddy covariance towers and an Autonomous Inexpensive Robust CO2 Analyzer (AIRCOA).

Animal ecology
Web definitions
Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment, such as the interactions organisms have with each other and with their abiotic environment. ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Ecology

Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment (including the biosphere, the cryosphere, the hydrosphere, the pedosphere, the atmosphere, and the lithosphere). In particular, biogeochemistry is the study of the cycles of chemical elements, such as carbon and nitrogen, and their interactions with and incorporation into living things transported through earth scale biological systems in space through time. The field focuses on chemical cycles which are either driven by or have an impact on biological activity. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus cycles. Biogeochemistry is a systems science closely related to systems ecology.

Climate is a measure of the average pattern of variation in temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological variables in a given region over long periods of time. Climate is different from weather, in that weather only describes the short-term conditions of these variables in a given region.

Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water on Earth and other planets, including the hydrologic cycle, water resources and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is a hydrologist, working within the fields of earth or environmental science, physical geography, geology or civil and environmental engineering.

Plant/vegetation ecology is the study of plant distribution and abundances, plant responses to environmental factors, and the interactions among and between plants and other organisms in their environment. In plant ecology the focus may be on just one or a few particular species of interest, while in vegetation ecology, there is a stronger focus on dynamics within the plant community as a whole. At Niwot Ridge there is a rich history of plant and vegetation ecology, beginning with the characterization and mapping of alpine plant communities as early as the 1960s, moving later into more experimental and dynamic approaches to plant/vegetation ecology, often in the context of changing climatic and environmental conditions.

Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.[1]

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement #DEB-1637686. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necesarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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